With the ball at his feet, Janghiz dribbles fate – UNHCR Switzerland and Liechtenstein
By Vincent Burgy | August 9, 2021
Janghiz meets up with his teammates in Lugano every Monday evening to pursue his passion for football. © UNHCR / Alfio Tommasini
Even if Janghiz about the difficulties he has experienced and the trauma he has been through, speaks, loses uh never his big smile. His smile will still wider as soon as he is over footssSphere speaks. With the ball on your feetss the young man who lives in Bellinzona (Ticino) can cope with the torments of everyday life for a while escape. In Syria, in the country where he was born, cap Janghiz a ball for the first time kicked, a passion that he exercised parallel to his job. At the age of nine, he had no choice but to work in various restaurants in Damascus to support his family. “It was very difficult,” he explains modestly.
Of the Sport as a source of energy
Confronted with this situation, transferred Janghiz put his ingenuity into action. For more than a decade he worked and climbed the restaurants Up the hierarchy until he became a chef, even without a degree. «If you have skills» brings along, you end up being given responsibility, ”swears D.uh young man. In addition to this grueling life, he never misses an opportunity the Kick ball. «Sport gives me energy. It is also an opportunity Spending time with friends“, says Janghiz, 34 years old.
However, in 2010 his life took a turn. He took with others Stateless persons participated in a demonstration against his government. Stateless persons are people without nationality. Statelessness can have a number of causes. Some people are born stateless, others become stateless in the course of their lives, e.g. B. when citizenship is withdrawn or denied from population groups. As a result, he was arrested and sequentially transferred to thirteen different prisons (More information). «We protested because we had no rights », remembers the young man, who caused no de. As a result, he was detained and sequentially transferred to thirteen different prisons. Painful memories that Janghiz prefers to keep to himself. After his imprisonment, he fled and in 2011 an application for asylum in Switzerland.
«It wasn’t easy in duh Switzerland abut the sport helped me a lot to integrate.«
When he arrived he found his way back to the FussBall court not immediately. He was initially accommodated in a guesthouse “in the middle of the Ticino mountains” and got used to his new surroundings. After six months it closedssLich moved to an apartment in Bellinzona, where he lived with another man from Syria. It doesn’t take long to develop his passion for the footssBall again manifested. On the advice of a social worker it was Janghiz quickly recruited by a local club, where his sharpness on the front was soon noticed. «It was not easy to arrive in Switzerland, but the sport helped me a lot to integrate. I was able to get to know many Swiss people, but also people from all over the world, »says Janghiz.
One step at a time
His enthusiasm also led him to join a refugee soccer team as part of the Sports Integration Project Sotto lo stesso sole (in English: under the same sun) of the Ticino branch of Swiss Workers’ Relief Organization (SAH) was founded (see below). Thanks to his motivation and commitment, he quickly became a cornerstone of the team that he never left. He also shows this will and this energy in his daily life. But even if he takes big steps on the field, he is calmer privately and professionally. He works 50% as a caretaker in various buildings in Bellinzona and dreams of starting his own garden center. «I don’t want to be dependent on a boss. I’ve thought about it for a long time, but I prefer to take it easy. Piano, piano, ”he explains with a smile.
This serenity has enabled him to tame an uncomfortable neighbor. When he arrives, the neighbor makes it clear that he has no sympathy for the refugees. Until one day Janghiz offered to help him walk his dog. This first excursion was followed by many more, but the relationship between the two neighbors did not improve. “I offered him to go with the dog for a walk and told him my story. He cried, ”says Janghiz. Soon afterwards he was in front of his family and gave me the key to his apartment. A very strong relationship of trust that was forged thanks to the patience of the young refugee. For him, the recipe is simple: «It’s better to be kind. Piano. “
A soccer team to promote integration
While some stragglers are still putting on their football boots, a handful of players are already kicking balls to finish the warm-up. Like every Monday evening, these players meet on the sidelines of the Cornaredo-Stadiums in Lugano for training. Tuesdaye team was in Framework of the project Sotto lo stesso sole (in English: under the same sun) to the Integration through sport founded. In addition to these training units, the team also takes regularssig participated in numerous tournaments. 
The team was established in 2014 from the Ticino branch of Swiss Workers’ Relief Organization (SAW) and has brought together more than 200 players since its inception. Currently training about fifteen People every week in Lugano and a new team recently made their debut in Bellinzona. Your goal is to serve as a stepping stone for players. “If a person is considered to be well integrated, the coach ensures that they are transferred to another club in the region,” explain Valeria Canova and Tessa Fasoli vom SAH.
According to one of Lugano’s most loyal players, Janghiz, there are several reasons for the success of this project. «Logistics is important for the refugees. It’s not always easy to find your way around, so what is on offer has to be easily accessible, ”he says. In addition, there is the need for a well-structured offer. “It has to be properly organized and the refugees have to be able to get involved over a period of time,” he says.
